Approvals against standards

Standards for education and training are an essential element of the Quality Improvement Framework. They form the backbone of the framework against which the other elements are developed and measured.

The standards and outcomes for undergraduate medical education and training, including curricula and assessment systems, are set out in Tomorrow’s Doctors (2009) which applies from the beginning of the academic year 2011-12. To help medical schools implement the requirements in Tomorrow's Doctors (2009), the GMC has provided medical schools with additional advice on four themes.

The standards and outcomes for postgraduate medical education and training have been aligned following the merger of PMETB with the GMC. The Trainee Doctor consolidates the standards and outcomes previously set out in The New Doctor, the Generic Standards for specialty including GP training, and the Standards for Deaneries. There are also Standards for curricula and assessment systems (revised April 2010) for specialty including GP training.

The GMC approves the following against the above standards:

• new institutions to deliver undergraduate medical education or the decoupling of institutions which previously jointly delivered it
• programmes of education or training in specialty including GP training
• GP trainers
• the Foundation Programme curricula and assessment systems
• specialty including GP curricula and assessment systems
• sub-specialty curricula and assessment systems